California Governor Gavin Newsom says his state will go to court to stop President Donald Trump from taking control of state National Guard units without cause and using them against protesters opposed to the administration’s mass deportation efforts.
In a post on X on Monday, Newsom said the violence that has broken out in parts of Los Angeles during three days of weekend protests over Immigrations and Customs Enforcement raids and arrests, leading the president to activate California National Guard units to protect federal property, is “exactly what Trump wanted.”
Newsom accused Trump of having “flamed the fires and illegally acted to federalize the National Guard” with a memorandum on Saturday in which Trump called the protests “a form of rebellion against the authority of the Government of the United States” and at least 2,000 soldiers into federal service for the next two months. He also pointed out that the memorandum does not specifically mention California but instead leaves open the possibility of using both National Guard and active duty military to quell protests nationwide.
“It will allow him to go into ANY STATE and do the same thing,” he said.
He added: “We’re suing him.”
In a separate post late Sunday, Newsom said Trump was “putting fuel on this fire” by “commandeering a state’s National Guard without consulting the Governor of that state” and called Trump’s actions both “illegal and immoral.”
“California will be taking him to court,” he said.
It was not immediately clear whether any litigation had been filed in any federal court, but White House spokesperson Abigal Jackson hit back against the California governor’s threat in a statement, accusing Newsom of “feckless leadership” that made him “directly responsible for the lawless riots and violent attacks on law enforcement in Los Angeles.”
“Instead of filing baseless lawsuits meant to score political points with his left-wing base, Newsom should focus on protecting Americans by restoring law and order to his state,” Jackson added.
For his part, Newsom had equally harsh words for Trump and top administration officials during an interview with Los Angeles-based actor turned progressive podcaster Brian Tyler Cohen in which he called Trump “unhinged” and referred to the White House and members of Trump’s cabinet as a “band of misfits.”
“This is serious. The people’s lives are at stake. The reputation of this country is at stake,” he said.
Newsom also called Trump’s actions in Los Angeles “a preview for things to come.”
“This isn’t about LA per se. It’s about us today. It’s about you, everyone watching tomorrow … this guy’s unhinged,” he said.
“Donald Trump is unhinged right now, and this is just another proof point of that.”
Newsom, who is term-limited and widely thought to be mulling a run for the White House in the 2028 presidential election, has long been a foil for Trump and a lightning rod for attacks from conservatives who’ve taken pleasure in mocking the Golden State for various progressive initiatives and policies.
But the Golden State governor, who was once married to Trump’s eldest son’s ex-fiancee and nominee to be U.S. ambassador to Greece, Kimberly Guilfoyle, has not shied away from confronting Trump administration officials in this clash over immigration enforcement.
During an interview with NBC News on Sunday, he hit out at Trump’s White House “border czar,” Tom Homan, for threatening arrests of Democratic state and local officials if they “obstruct” ICE personnel on charges of violating federal laws against harboring illegal aliens or impeding law enforcement.
Newsom mocked Homan as a “tough guy” and said the former ICE official knows where to find him if needed.
“That kind of bloviating is exhausting. So, Tom, arrest me. Let’s go,” he said.
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